Cushioned shoe



W. H. NICKERSON CUSHIONED SHOE lle@ sept. 14, 1923 Patented Aug. 5,1924'.-

VState of Massachusetts,| h'ave invented new UNITED WILLIAM H. nrcxnnson. 'or

PAT ENT -fofi-Fici-L.

oUsHIoNnn. SHOE.

Appucatio'n mea sentent i4,' '1,s2. "sentirne-662,170.

To all whom it may camera:

Be it knoxv'ri,that LWILLIAM H. NICKER- soN, citizenf of the United States, residing 'at Brookline, in the countyl of Norfolk an and usefiilidlnliprovements in Cushione Shoes, of which the following is aA specification.- .x

The object of this invention is to provide a shoe having between the ball-supporting portions of its inner and outer soles, acompressible .elastic cushion, adapted Ato yieldingly support the shank portion of theV 1nsole under'the ball of the wearers foot.

I attain this ob]eet by the improved construction hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings 4forming..

a art of this specificatiomigure 1 is a bottom plan view of a shoe embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on line of.

Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlargement ofa portion of Figure 2.V 1

Figure l-is a side view of the ball cushion shown by Figures 1, 2 and-3.

Figure 5 is a rear edge view of the cushion shown -by Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 4,.

showingv a different form of the salient thickened rear margin of the ball cushion. The same references. indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

The outsole 12 of ashoe embodying the invention has a somewhat abrupt transverse -bend 13 at the junction of its tread and shank portions, and under the ,ball of the wearers foot, said bend extending from edge to edge of the outsole and being centrally so that its end portions project forward trom its central portion which is on the median line of the shoe bottom.

The bend 13 defines the rear extremity of the tread portion. and in this instance is ourvedas shown byFigiire 1, although it may be of angular or other form, if desired.

rhe ball-supporting portion of the insole 14: bridges and is spaced from the bend 13,

se that a double wedge-shaped pocket 15 is formed between the two soles, the forward portion of said pocket tapering toward the toe end while the rear portion tapers toward the heel end, as shown by vFigure 2.

16 designates a cushion of' compressibl'e by Figure .5.

. wise into the said air space an compounded for.l rubber shoe heels, Valthoug it may be otherwise compounded to form ad suitably yielding and elastic' support-'for the 'ball portion of the we arers' foot." Sponge d rubber may-'be employedif desired.

The cushion 16' fis/suitably secured in the pocket 15, andi-is wedge-'shaped and formed to itonly the wedge-shaped vforward portionof the pocket 15. The cushion forward margin 18. The 'thickened margin is of salient form and conforms approximately to the form of the bend v13 vas indicated by Figure 1. TheA forwar vmargin 18 ispreferably straight and intersectsthe endsof the rear" margin, the 'latter being thickest at its central portion and gradually decreasing in thickness toits ends, as shgwn pocket is vacant and' forms a"Wedge-shaped ,air 's `p'af.e. a,s shown by Figure 2.

- shoe 1s` in'se, the-shank portion of' the insole is f permittedftof conform. to the yportion of the foot bearing thereon,- by reason of the fact that-thefcushion -is free'to bulge endportion of theA insole is free to bulge sidewise or downwardv into the cushion and into.

the air space. The compressibilty of the cushion is considerably'greater than would be the case if the cushion were extended' to fill4 the rear portion of the pocketv 15, the i thicker end portion of the cushion being free to bulge into an` air space at the rear has athickenedrearmargin`17, and a thin edged yrubber, by which `I` meanfrubber as usually;` l

The -r'ear -portion-'ot the 1 'The a'rrangementfis such that, 'when the end of the cushion, so that the -thickness of the cushion is freelyreduc/cable,

Figure 7 shows af salientrear margin of angular form, suitable foruse in a shoe in which the bend '13 is also angular.

The shank stiiiener 19, with whichthe inner sole is usually provided, may bear on salient formi to the rear extremity o thev tread portion, the shank portion of the outsole being inclined upward and rear'- ward frMn said bend, aninsole Ithe bal1sup poil-ting' portion of which brid es and is spaced -rom said bend, the inso e and outsole forming'-the sides of a double wedgel shaped pocket, and a resilient wedge-shaped rubber cushion filling only the forward portion ofisaidpocket, so that a wedgeshaped air space is formed at the rear portion of the pocketvwhich is bridged by al portion of the insole, the arrangement being such that l0 when the shoe is in use the shank portion air space. e

In testimony whereof I have aiixed mysignature. 

